Breaking News: Fierce Level 4 Tornado Strikes Joplin, Missouri

Photo from CNN/Getty Images

From Denny: At almost 200 mph a tornado obliterated half of the town of Joplin, Missouri, of about 50,500 population. This is some stunning video to witness such complete devastation from a level four tornado.



Current estimates are that at least 116 people have died in this sudden fierce storm last night. The storm touched down at 5:41 PM last night. The town had only 24 minutes after the warning sounded to get to safety.



The three-quarter wide twister cut a four mile swath through this town. It is the fiercest storm to hit America in 61 years since the National Weather Service started keeping records. More tornadoes are predicted today to strike the area again.



While the rain pounds relentlessly there are rescuers and volunteers from 40 agencies fanning out across the town to help. Sadly, the town's hospital, St. John's Regional Medical Center, was hit directly and badly damaged. The storm was so severe that residents 70 miles away found X-rays from the hospital in their driveways.

Funny 2012 Election Politics, Obama, Bin Laden Cartoons

President Obama

From Denny:  When it rains it pours, goes the proverb. It applies to weather these days from the Spring snow melt-offs flooding the American Midwest to the South to the frenetic weirdo politics of 2012 presidential campaigning.



Mississippi River flood



I live in south Louisiana in Baton Rouge, a large city just south of the Morganza Spillway. The Army Corps of Engineers let open a number of gates to flood 18,000 acres of farmland and small towns. They hoped to save two of the largest population centers that are each a large port:  the capital city of Louisiana, Baton Rouge and the largest port, New Orleans.



So far the drought conditions in Louisiana have contributed to keeping the earthen levees strong enough to hold the strong Mississippi River while it pushes to change its course. Millions of gallons of water per minute are straining to scour the river bed and the levees as the river challenges its boundaries.



At present the estimated damage economically is about $2 billion due to the flooding.  The flooding prevents planting crops that feed the nation.  The flooding prevents port traffic on the River that slows down or prevents the chemical plants, the oil refineries and farms from delivering products.



Osama Bin Laden death 



Speaking of boundaries - it's that segway thing - Bin Laden wore out his welcome on the national stage a decade ago and has been hunted ever since. Finally, this president and his intelligence community found the rat, set the trap and dealt with him and his enablers.

Mississippi River Rising: Flood of the Century

Photo by Dave Martin/AP

From Denny: This weekend I traveled downtown in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to take a look for myself at the above flood stage Mississippi River in my home town proverbial back yard. Can I tell you it was a regular "shock and awe" moment?



Just imagine for a moment a herd of elephants gone rogue and running fast and furious down hill. They are a herd packed tight and fanning out three miles wide. The Old Man River looked like those elephants were just under the water, the top of their heads barely seen in the rough choppy water.  The surface of the water looked like a 60 mile an hour wind was pushing it yet the reality was there was barely a slight breeze.

The Soul Calendar: Why Is The Arctic Warming Faster Than Rest Of Our Planet?

Polar bears in the Arctic near the North Pole with the USS Honolulu - Image via Wikipedia

The Soul Calendar: Why Is The Arctic Warming Faster Than Rest Of Our Planet?: "At what rate is the Arctic currently warming than the rest of the planet? Try twice as fast. And everyone in the scientific community has been trying to figure out why.



Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide warm up the climate while some aerosols like sulfate, from fossil fuel combustion, are a cooling influence on global warming, acting as a counterbalance.



Energy balance on Earth affected by aerosols and clouds



Arctic clouds and aerosols are thought to influence the loss of sea ice, carving out a niche as important roles in the energy balance on Earth. We all know what a cloud is but do you know what an aerosol is?"

Sweltering Summer Heat poem - Libations Friday 9 July 2010

*** Poem and photography: Ever wonder "just how hot is it?" this summer...Sweltering Summer HeatThe country is baking in a heat wave. Temperatures are rising high and higher.Trapped heat stands like waving fingersEscaping from the hot pavement in hopeIt can ride the air to a cooler place.Weathermen roll out maps of restless red,Colored past state lines all over America.High hot numbers marking the worst citiesWhere people faint from the heat and The energy grid strains to provide relief.Emergency crews rush to put out fires andHospital emergency rooms fill up whileCity officials turn off the electricity in Rolling brown-outs to limp past high demands;News media records it all, making you feel hotter.People open their doors to go outside and Are greeted by a blast of humid high heatThat just takes your breath away, gasping.You touch the door on your car only to scream,Burned as you grasp and lift the handle.Inside the car, you fumble for the hot knobsTo crank down the air conditioning full blastWhile you drive down the road sweating likeYou just ran a marathon standing perfectly still.And you ask yourself, “Did I really need those groceries?”Denny LyonCopyright 16 July 2010All Rights Reserved*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates! *** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:The Social Poets The Soul CalendarVisual InsightsBeautiful Illustrated QuotationsPoems From A Spiritual HeartThe Healing WatersDennys Food and RecipesDennys Funny QuotesPhoto CreditsHot sunset photo by mnsc @ flickrCar windshield reflecting sun photo by kevindooley @ flickrPanting hot dog photo by jimf0390 @ flickrBlistering hot heated face photo by Gamma-Ray Productions @ flickrPutting out a fire photo by DVIDSHUB @ flickrHot thermometer photo by saturnism @ flickrSummer fan by ToastyKen @ flickr